Using Simulation for Locating Transmitter in a Multistatic Sensor Network

Multistatic sensor networks consist of independent transmitters (sources)and receivers with a shared area coverage. Some important applications of bi/multistatic sensors in space systems include the use of spatially separated receiver and transmitter satellites, design of space radars and spaceborn bi/multistatic synthetic aperture radar. Sensing zone of a single transmitter-receiver couple in such systems is defined by Cassini ovals, a family of quartic plane curves with unique properties. Therefore, the problem of locating sensors in multistatic settings is a challenge for decision-makers. In this study, considering a given set of receiver locations, we aim to determine the location for a single transmitter to maximize the total area covered. To achieve this we carry out exhaustive Monte Carlo simulations which measure the coverage achieved for all possible transmitter location alternatives for a given receiver field. We experiment with both randomly and polygonally deployed receiver locations and present results for a number of selected examples. Our work reveals that the coverage can significantly be improved by selecting appropriate transmitter locations and simulation is a useful tool to design multistatic fields.